piene2Dec 14, 2012

"I just don't see these wind-turbines generating enough electricity to make a difference. I'm no expert though.mxteam44

Than check with those who are and learn how important wind farms are becoming.

intrinsic_valueDec 13, 2012

Bev's crackin me up. You go girl :-)

Keep improving solar (without animal research or by-products). No nukes. Get out of the ocean.

Bill BraskyDec 13, 2012

From the comments I've seen so far, people are arguing that solar power doesn't work. However, isn't this article about windpower? About 5 years ago when T Boone Pickins recommended it I thought Americans were united and overall in favor of it. Then Obama recommends it and now it becomes political. Oh well.

mxteam44Dec 13, 2012

I just don't see these wind-turbines generating enough electricity to make a difference. I'm no expert though.

wayneboydDec 13, 2012

You haven't seen the latest Obama regulations on drilling for anything...yet.

CarolinaDec 13, 2012

"Sounds great huh? How is the electricity wired back to the mainland?? Would be extremely expensive to do. Electricity cannot be transmitted through the air. Lightpoles, lines underneath the ocean floor? Need to build more coal plants with more clean burn technology."

Good point, except...if we build more coal plants, won't we need lightpoles and/or lines to transmit the energy from coal technology too? I'm not sure why the means of transmission is a drawback for wind power, but not coal.

mayhemDec 13, 2012

Sounds great huh? How is the electricity wired back to the mainland?? Would be extremely expensive to do. Electricity cannot be transmitted through the air. Lightpoles, lines underneath the ocean floor? Need to build more coal plants with more clean burn technology.daheels3

The expert has spoken! I'm glad we cleared that up.

fishonDec 13, 2012

Put turbines on top of oil platforms. The best of both worlds...

delta29alphaDec 13, 2012

The largest Solar farm currently in US is Copper Mountain is 380 acres holding 775,000 solar panels only produces 55 Megawatts of DC power, less once converted to AC. This is at at optimum productivity which occurs maybe six hours a day and only on sunny days. may produce theoretical power for 17,000 homes. It can't be used directly but has to be piped into the grid through regular power plants. Compare to the average nuclear power plant of 846 Megawatts.

delta29alphaDec 13, 2012

OK I'm not against wind or solar but lets keep our expectations reasonable. Your power will not be free or even cheaper. Some of you howl about being pushed around by big oil, Well how about big wind...(yes I said that).... These fields cost hundreds of millions to build and maintain. Who do think are going to build them...That's right the only ones who can afford to build them, big corporations. They will expect to make a substantial profit for their troubles. And I doubt they are going to sell their power to you directly. no they are going to sell it to the power companies who will then disperse it through the grids they already own. The same is true of solar energy farms.

rocketDec 13, 2012

Sounds like a good idea until you realize the cost of these projects exceeds the benefit. If wind was the answer why wouldn't private entities take advantage of it?

acceptorchangeDec 12, 2012

I bet these things will generate a LOT of electricity during a hurricane.

daheels3Dec 12, 2012

Sounds great huh? How is the electricity wired back to the mainland?? Would be extremely expensive to do. Electricity cannot be transmitted through the air. Lightpoles, lines underneath the ocean floor? Need to build more coal plants with more clean burn technology.

dk12Dec 12, 2012

acceptorchangeDec 12, 2012

Personally, I would not like to look out over a beautiful view of the ocean and see that view ruined by large towers with wind turbines on top. Put the things somewhere without ruining what natural beauty we have left. The mountains and every available hill are filled with radio towers. Now they want to clutter our seaside beauty. If you can hide the things from view I am all for it.

dk12Dec 12, 2012

hp277Dec 12, 2012

Wind power has been successful across the US, including 10,900 MW in TX, 4,500+ MW in CA & IA. 3,000+ MW in OR & IL, and 2,000+ in MN, OK, and WA.http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp

There is 51,630 MW of utility-scale wind power installed across the USA.

Wind has been a success across the US and around the world - it is time for NC to get on board.

kvaughn2Dec 12, 2012

Sorry, but who paid for this

kvaughn2Dec 12, 2012

How paid for this?

mepDec 12, 2012

Dogman... your right, thorium is the way to go.

ladyblueDec 12, 2012

look out little birdies mankind has yet found a way to intrude into your space again. LOL..

DogmanDec 12, 2012

We should be looking at Thorium reactor power. It can consume our present nuclear waste, produces no toxic by products and is cheap. Wind power is way too expensive and unreliable.

ConservativeDec 12, 2012

The more energy and jobs we can bring to NC, the better it is for eveyone. dwntwnboy

just curious - I am not sure where the wind turbines are made (i.e., don't know how much manufacturing takes place in the U.S.), I know China makes solar panels - could you please tell me what "green" jobs are going to be added? There is a solar farm on 501 halfway between Durham and Roxboro - there is not a soul there attending to anything because it does not need to be babysat. Other than people hosing the panels every now and then - cannot think of the "green" jobs that have been created. Also, to generate 1 kilowatt - roughly 5 acres of land are needed. A typical plant is 700 MEGAWATTS (700,000 kilowatts) - the real estate needed is 3,500,000 acres. So when the Sun is shining intensely for about 8 hours what are you going to do the rest of the time? The reason it looks cheap now is because of the "SUBSIDY".

aspenstreet1717Dec 12, 2012

Look at the experience of other countries. It never lived up to the hype.mep, yes I think we do need to build some more modern nuke plants.

mepDec 12, 2012

It will NEVER happen.... the tree hugger organizations will never allow it. Too harmful to the environment, birds, fish, and tourism. We need more nuke plants.

arfamr1007Dec 12, 2012

This is the worst idea libs have ever had. Wind energy is a joke and hardly capable of being used for residential use let alone as an energy solution. Wind turbines take more energy to make and install than they produce in their lifetime. But hey who's letting facts get in the way?

Banned4LifeDec 12, 2012

CountryBoyz ever heard of "Big Oil"? They call it that for a reason, and it was even worse back when it first came to power in the late 1800's. Standard Oil. Breaking up the Monopolies. Oil stopped the electric car industry, they bought out and ended public light rail in most cities, they did everything they could to quash any competition from other energy options. They now own all of the huge "entitlements" coming out of DC, they get billions in kickbacks and tax loopholes ($113 BILLION over one decade). They control Washington and every state legislature. If this had been a level playing field, we'd probably have all kinds of alternative energies already available in quantity and paying less for what we got. But it's not and won't be until we end the corporate entitlements that allow a few ultra-rich men to control our country.

Banned4LifeDec 12, 2012

With over 15,000 jobs already in the green energy sector, and with wind energy becomeing cost-competetive from the production side with fossil fuels, NC is already situated to become a large producer of both the equipment and the power from green energies. Not sure about location, but the tracts off VA are 27 miles offshore. The NC leases may be closer as the available wind is coming up from the gulf stream and heads out farther offshore just past the outer banks. So ours would be cheaper to bring to shore vs other states. And with the technologies being developed at NC State and other Universities here, we could gain a competetive advantage well into the future.

sparky27604Dec 12, 2012

Independence with fossil fuel is an outright lie. Fossil fuel is finite resource. It *will* run out. Renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydrogren, etc. are the key to a true, viable energy development future.

TJPCDec 12, 2012

We can actually reach independence with fossil fuel. whatelseisnew

Too bad there is a finite amount of fossil fuel and more & more demand every year. It is time to be a little more forward thinking when it comes to energy sources. I know that wind energy isn't the end all but it is something to be explored and developed further.

mfarmer1Dec 12, 2012

Is it cost effective?

If you spend 3 million, how much is returned in actual power? And how long would it take?

I'm a bit skeptical about this so called green energy.

Just like Hybrid cars that need fossil fuels to recharge the batteries that only go 50 miles on a charge, and cost 200% to 300% more for the same mileage.

geosolDec 12, 2012

Some right winger actually wrote this, "I wonder if they will use sail-powered boats to go out to service the windmills and pick up the dead bird carcasses that have not yet floated away or sank." REALLY? Since when did the little right wingers start caring one bit about birds? They don't care about birds when their wonderful oil platforms kill them by the millions with oil slicks. They don't care about them when their beautiful coal ash smoke stacks spew tons of pollutants in the air. They don't care about them when it's time to get rid of high level waste coming from their glorious nuke plants. And now they've been told that they need to tell people that windmills might kill some birds. Yay wingers!!

Shiver me timbersDec 12, 2012

Wind power? No kidding. Maybe someone can explain why big government just now thinks of this in 2012? "As early as 5000 B.C. people traveled along the Nile River with boats propelled by wind energy. By 200 B.C., water was being pumped by simple windmills in China". "Electric power was fed to the local utility network for months during WWII". "windmills became known as wind turbines which appeared in Denmark as early as 1890". http://windcoalition.org/wind-energy/history-of-wind-energy/

ScubagirlDec 12, 2012

Great idea, and a much better one than oil rigs off our coast! Danny22, methinks you're just trying to stir stuff up

JustAName-I don't think so. Here's the listing I found:Birds

Piping Plover - E Red-coc*aded Woodpecker - E Wood Stork - E

hp277Dec 12, 2012

This is a great idea. The sites are 10 miles or more off the coast and so will be pretty much invisible from the beach, as well as far enough out to not bother most birds.

We badly need to diversify our energy production to include pollution-free options like this. It will help to bring jobs to our state for manufacturing, construction, and maintenance of the towers. The 'fuel' is free, and the offsite impact of a wind accident would be... nothing.

whatelseisnewDec 12, 2012

I wonder if they will use sail-powered boats to go out to service the windmills and pick up the dead bird carcasses that have not yet floated away or sank.

whatelseisnewDec 12, 2012

"Energy independence will require a variety of investments - solar, wind, cogeneration, energy storage, and most importantly energy efficiency. There is no magic bullet as each has its advantages and disadvantages."

We can actually reach independence with fossil fuel. wind is a joke and that should be abandoned. Other sources assuming they provide reliable source at a low cost point should be explored. How amusing they talk about windmills as a 21st century concept.

working for deadbeatsDec 12, 2012

So the Kennedy's are ok with this one?

Danny22Dec 12, 2012

Wind energy is detrimental to the environment.

eomsDec 12, 2012

Great idea, better make use of that wind instead of it blowing down wooden toyhouses.

JustANameDec 12, 2012

Are there any endangered birds near the coast?

baldchipDec 12, 2012

40-50 miles off shore would be fine. Here fishy-fishy. These things should make great fish attractors-just like oil rigs do in the gulf.

Will the noise and vibration drive fish away??

ConservativeDec 12, 2012

Care to tell us the capacity of the generation?

SaveEnergyManDec 12, 2012

Energy independence will require a variety of investments - solar, wind, cogeneration, energy storage, and most importantly energy efficiency. There is no magic bullet as each has its advantages and disadvantages.

dwntwnboyDec 12, 2012

Seems like a no brainer. No danger of oil spills like we saw in the gulf a couple of years ago and it might give the fish a nice place to swim and reproduce, creating another boom industry around the base and supports for such wind towers. The more energy and jobs we can bring to NC, the better it is for eveyone.